Fulltimers, hook-ups in the cold?

[NewbeeMC9]

Some of you full timers and almost full timers, How do you address your hook-ups in the below freezing weather?   Slight chance I may have to deal with this issue.

[cody]

Up here it's not much of an issue lol, anyone with a bus and any common sence heads south where it's ALWAYS WARM AND NEVER FREEZES lol, but for anyone heading thru our area this time of year the only places to find power and any kind of hookups are at casinos, forget about water, mostly just power at any of the casino rv sites, all the other parks are closed till May.

[robertglines1]

A short time in the low 20's (3 or four hrs) then back above I don't worry....for longer periods I put a box heater in the utility bay set on lowest setting....below freezing most parks cut off water...usually run off fresh water tank if there is a question on and how long freezing temp will last...all my plumbing run in bays and would take prolonged low 20's to freeze(with heat in coach)..hope this helps.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

in western parks that we have been in you will see some people that have stayed thru the winter. Besides putting up skirting around their rig, the most important thing they do is to insulate the water hose. most do this by using foam tubing and wrapping it with duct tape. Some will also use one of those electrical pipe wrap tapes, although last time i looked at these they are meant for metal pipes, and may be a fire hazard with a hose setup.

[belfert]

Would heat tapes really get warm enough to harm a hose?  I would think would run at a pretty low temp to save on electricity.  I have never felt one in operation.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

If i was staying some place in freezing weather, ( god forbid!)    I would just fill my tank whenever needed and drain my hose. Heck,  thats what i do all of the time no matter what the weather! Well, i don't drain the hose, but i just fill the tank, and shut off the hose . If we are going to be gone for any length of time i also shut off the pump so that i do not ever have to run the risk of coming home and finding a broken pipe or fitting and a flooded bus. Just my way.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I don't know Brian.  Might just be the makers way to protect themselves from claims.  I have seen people using them with the foam over them....  i have never used one myself.

[Jriddle]

I lived in a fifth wheel in the early eighties in Montana with twenty to thirty below temps. I had straw bails around the bottom. I had heat tape on the water connection. I let the sink water go out to the sewer. The sewer hose was attached to a board to prevent a trap. Found that out the hard way with a thirty gallon block of ice LOL. I held the toilet water and added rock salt to keep it from freezing and dumped when full. It can be done but need to pay attention everyday.

John

[cody]

What a lot of people do up here for their tanks is to set them on a waterbed heating pad with a sheet of foamboard under that, not only protects the tank from road chaff but also insulates it to help keep it warmer.

[bobofthenorth]

It depends how cold is "cold".  Down into the 20's we pretty much ignore it as long as the days are warm.  If you are in temps that don't get above freezing during the day then that is more serious.  The simplest is to fill your tanks and work out of the tanks.  Don't leave a drain hose open unless you want a 3 inch poopsicle.  Once we get down below 0F we have to get more aggressive in our freeze management.  If you are still at the design stage then pay close attention to where you locate your manifords.  Our hot & cold manifolds are in an area that is hard to heat and they are the first to freeze.  

The coldest we have seen is -28C.  At those temps you need some serious supplemental heat.  We had a 1500 watt cube running full time to keep the manifolds open and the Proheat was running pretty well continuously.  It wastes enough heat into the water bay to keep the tanks warm.

The best freeze management device is still a compass but we know all too well that isn't always possible.

[Jerry32]

I installed a freeze switch that plugs into the standard ac outlet and has two outlets for coneccting a heater or as I used a heat lamp in the bay where the tnks and plumbing is. I travel at below freeze temps in the teens and the heat lamp will operate off the invewrter when the bay might try to drop to freezing. if hooked up use foam on the hoses and my connections are in the heated bay so they are covered. Temps in the mid to high 29's usually don't freez things unless they continue for long periods of time Jerry

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Jerry, where are you at in Yuma?  We are on 53rd Lane in the Foothills.

[PP]

Hey Bob (of the North) I like your new avatar. Good looking bus.
Fortunately, we haven't had to deal with much below 20 F. in the bus, but I do have a heating cable against the hose and wrapped with foam pipe insulation and duct tape. I only plug the heating cable in when it doesn't get above freezing for at least 2 days or longer. I close both outlets (blk and gray) so we don't freeze up the drain line. All our tanks and fittings are located inside the rear bay and I've nver had a problem with freezing inside the bays. The bottom of the bus is spray foamed also (4"thick) and the bay doors are insulated except for the genny bay which has an intake vent for fresh air.
Good luck, Will

[Gary W]

Heat tapes work fine on plastic pipe, we used them for years in freezing temps under a mobile home.

Gary

[JohnEd]

You will have to verify this.....a salesman told me that the heat tape will work using 12V DC instead of the 120V AC.  I think they market a 12V version but they didn't mention anything but 120 on the stuff I bought.  Consider not turning the heat tape on and off for temp swings.  Also, salesman info...the tape becomes resistive when you raise the temp so the draw increases heavily below but becomes nill above freezing.  In theory you could leave the stuff connected year round and it wouldn't cost you enuf to make going thru the trouble of disconnecting it worth the trouble.  I left mine on all winter long with no ill effects.

I slept on water beds for 15 years.  The heaters DO fail and when they did on mine they took out the water bed bladder.  The mat gets a hot spot the size of a nickel and melts to charcoal.  I don't think it could melt thru a plastic tank....got that "think" part?

I left my grey tank draining, as I usually do, and the sewer hose became blocked with a solid freeze.  Mine was on a good slope and didn't trap water.  I keep both tanks closed and drain periodically and all is well.

HTH,

John